LAKE COUNTY >> Layoffs and vacancies are an issue in many county departments, but absences at one in particular created the most alarm.
The Building Division of the Community Development Department lacks inspectors to examine completed construction projects. Without inspectors, projects have been delayed and construction workers have been laid off from the lack of work.
These vacancies are having an impact on recovery efforts from the fires of 2015 and 2016. So the Community Development Director for Lake County is requesting a contract be signed with the Bureau Veritas for Building Division Services.
County Administrative Officer Carol Huchingson said this approved contract will last for 12 months with a maximum compensation of $250,000. Services that will be provided through the contract are building inspections, building department administration, firm resources and building department plan reviews.
Other options the county approved in an effort to meet demand are with extra help positions for the Building Division. These are volunteer positions, allowing engineers for a construction project to stamp approval of inspection themselves. The option also allows self-certification on certain aspects, such as roofing.
Huchingson said these will all just be temporary solutions until positions are filled and new hires are trained. Depending on what options are taken up will also determine the amount of funds for the contractor.
Some trying to get construction projects completed — or in some cases even started — have to wait months or years to get through a process, potentially losing funding from banks in the process.
Melissa Fulton, CEO of the Lake County Chamber of Commerce, said she is surprised this issue was not addressed sooner.
“This trickles down to our entire community, I don’t care if you’re involved in the building industry or what,” Fulton said. “If you are a waitress in a restaurant and all of sudden the contractors aren’t there and they are laying people off because they can’t get their jobs inspected- this has far reaching effects.”
As of last week, there is only one building inspector for the county, Fulton said.
“This is a horrific situation for Lake County to be in. After the last two years between floods and fires, we don’t need any more major impacts to our contractors, to our building supply businesses, to any of us. It will impact all of us,” Fulton said.
Mark Borghesani who is the general manager and part-owner of Kelseyville Lumber said many positions have become vacant and not refilled causing issues with rebuild efforts.
“Being in a Lumber Yard with a large Pro Sales department, we’re kind of like the bartenders of the building industry. I’ve got stools behind the counter and we listen to stuff every single day,” Borghesani said.
He added he does not know when all the focus from the Planning Department went from rebuild efforts for the fire went to other projects, but the people who need to get back into their homes are suffering.
“If you could imagine coming to Kelseyville Lumber and everybody in Pro Sales is gone except for the new guy over on terminal four and there’s 50 people in line and he just takes them one at a time and at his leisure and there’s nobody else to talk to,” Borghesani said.
District 5 Supervisor Rob Brown said he did not want to end the Board of Supervisor’s meeting until a decision was made and a solution was brought on how to fix this issue.
“This has got to a point that is really serious and we keep getting our paycheck every month, but there’s a lot of folks in this room and this county that aren’t going to get a pay check in August because they aren’t working because of us,” Brown said.
County Staff is continuing to have future meetings on the issue and a public workshop on the topic will be held next Tuesday evening at 6 p.m.
